THE FOREST
DIRECTOR: Jason Zada
CAST: Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, Yukiyoshi Ozawa
CLASSIFICATION: 13H
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes
RATING: 2 stars (out of 5)
Latoya Newman
The Forest had all the makings to be a great horror movie. Based on real-life myths pertaining to the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, also known as the “Suicide Forest” (found at the base of Mount Fuji) – this film had the potential to be a really hair-raising experience. But a weak plot and clichéd special effects prove to be its undoing.
Sarah’s twin sister Jess (Dormer) goes missing in Japan. So Sarah sets off to find her, convinced Jess is alive and in danger. Her investigation takes her to the Aokigahara Forest where Jess was last seen. Sarah is warned on a number of occasions by a locals not to enter the forest, especially at night, and especially if there is sadness in her heart.
According to local myth, the forest is home to yurei or ghosts of the dead – but as one character put it, they’re not just any ghosts, they’re angry ghosts who will use the sadness within you to drive you to “see things” and eventually to suicide.
Sarah ignores the warning and heads into the forest with Aiden (Kinney), a journalist who is writing about the forest and Michi (Ozawa), a local guide on suicide watch.
So the scene was set for a potentially awesome scare-fest. But unfortunately it turns out to be an opportunity lost.
Somewhere along the line, writers Nick Antosca, Sarah Cornwell and Ben Ketai lose the plot and the mystery central to the movie. Something seems incomplete in its ending, and even when the movie’s over, we’re still not clear on the mystery of the forest itself.
Another major downfall would be in the make-up, special effects and digital effects departments – where ghostly scenes or scenes depicting your typical decomposed/risen dead, just don’t seem real.
A horror film is supposed to tap into your primitive fears, offering you something that is believable enough to stir up that fear within in. It’s not just about creaking doors and done-to-death horror scores and imagery.
The cast put their best foot forward for this one, especially Dormer who plays each of the world’s apart twins with aplomb. But even good acting can’t save this movie.
The location was fitting for the intention of it being the infamous Aokigahara Forest. The movie was shot near Tara Mountain in Serbia as filming is not permitted at the Aokigahara Forest.
But I seriously don’t think you could walk away from this film feeling like you’ve watched a horror. Technically, yes, there are depictions of ghosts and risen dead, but your cinematic experience is likely to be more an occasional shock rather than a hair-raising experience that leaves you affected long after the end credits roll.
If you liked Southbound and The Veil, you’ll like this.